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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — a stick
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — in music
  7. stock — shares
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fine — all right
  14. staff — employees
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — to handle
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. land — ground
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com